finally- records are the best sounding source in the house.

mhardy6647
mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
edited February 2012 in 2 Channel Audio
I am pleased to announce that finally, as of Sunday 20 February, 2012, records are - as they should be- the best sounding source in the house. This thanks to prodding, poking, tweaking, and fiddling by a rather all-star gang of local hifi mavens who stopped by after the Westford antique flea market, baited by pizza and a chance to help me after hearing my kvetching about what I diagnosed as sibilance from my DL-103. To make a long story short, the DL-103 wasn't even the real root cause... and things are much, much better now.

spinnin1.jpg
spinnin2.jpg

This thing is a big part of the overall improvement for record reproduction at the ol' homestead... a fabulous sounding ss (?!) phono preamp designed (or at least heavily influenced) by the late Allen Wright.

JLTiphonopreamp.jpg

This one is on loan at the moment; I am saving my pennies and nickels (maybe selling some plasma) so that it can stay here...


http://www.customanalogue.com/jlti_phono_stage.htm
Post edited by mhardy6647 on
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Comments

  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,124
    edited February 2012
    What Technics is that Denon DL-103 Cartridge hooked up to? I have not seen A DL-103 in quite sometime. I can only Imagine how good that sounds on clean Vinyl.
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  • mdaudioguy
    mdaudioguy Posts: 5,165
    edited February 2012
    I'm very happy for you! :smile: However, I just can't go back... Can't. Not now. I just don't have the patience, time, etc... I know... sad. :cry:
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  • Polkersince85
    Polkersince85 Posts: 2,883
    edited February 2012
    Nice. I bet you didn't find that one at the swap station. Puts my 103 w/Peerless 4722s to shame. That's going to take a lot of plasma to keepa.
    >
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited February 2012
    The turntable, yes, was a dump find. Technics SL-Q2.
    The DL-103 was from Comet Supply a year or so ago when they were $118. I don't think it can be beat for that price.

    The combination (the arm isn't really heavy enough for the very low compliance DL-103) sounded OK on a Bottlehead Seduction phono preamp and a DIY SUT (made with some unassuming Triad transformers from Gary Kaufman), and there wasn't really enough gain for my system sans active preamp... but with some fiddlin' and tweakin' and the JLTi phono preamp - it's very satisfying, indeed.


    Everything else was real money.
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  • scottyboy76
    scottyboy76 Posts: 2,905
    edited February 2012
    My god, is the australian dollar trading close to the us dollar.

    Perfect, one more way i will never measure up.

    Did mdaudioguy sound like he was trying to convince himself?

    Seriously, im expecting a rega mini i bought from starkiller this week, my first phono pre, not in that league for sure, but im looking forward to getting my vinyl spinning with my 2 channel system again.
    humpty dumpty was pushed
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  • PreCd
    PreCd Posts: 786
    edited February 2012
    Good news on the TT. I drug the cheap-o JVC L-A11 out from my parent's basement last year. Listened to it, got discouraged, then put it away. Broke it out again last month. Tweaked the setup and does not sound too bad with the vintage Ortofon FF 15 XE cart installed. Really is the bottom of the barrel TT but albums at $3 is cheap music and as stated before it sound pretty good running through the GFP-565 phono input.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited February 2012
    Congrats on the sound! It took me quite awhile to get mine to be the best source. Now I dread listening to the silver disc.
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • CSM41
    CSM41 Posts: 55
    edited February 2012
    Congrats! I have one of those SL-Q2's on a shelf in my basement and I think they are a hidden gem. I never thought to try my Denon DL103R on it though. I currently have a Shure M97Xe on it, which sounds pretty good. Mine is going to be a gift to brother-in-law. For me, it took a Basis 1400 TT with a modded Rega RB300 and an Audio Technica AT33EV cart to just break even with my Squeezebox/DAC combo.
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  • CSM41
    CSM41 Posts: 55
    edited February 2012
    Holy ****! I just went to the link for your phono pre. That is one nice piece of gear. Expensive too. Proves how critical the phono preamp is in the scheme of analog reproduction.
    #1 Pass F5/Dared Sl2000a/Nola Boxers/Basis Audio 1400/Audio Technica AT33EV Phono Cartridge/Cambridge Audio 640P-Hypno Modded/GF DAC09/CPU
    #2 Cayin A-50T /Hornshoppe Horns/Squeeze Box Touch/Simaudio Moon 100D DAC/Rythmic F12 Servo Sub
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited February 2012
    The SL-Q2 "volunteered" for this gig because it had the heaviest arm in the house - it's still not optimal for the unsuffixed DL-103, unfortunately... but it is sounding pretty good now, after careful adjustment ( by experts) of alignment, VTA, and pushing the VTF up. Getting the urge for some heavier, vintage record playing hardware now :-P

    The JLTi isn't inexpensive... but there are far more expensive options out there. This one, used, is affordable (and I have every intention of purchasing it).

    SLQ2.jpg

    EDIT: In what arm do you (or did you) have the DL-103R installed? I do think that the "R" is somewhat higher compliance than the bottom-of-the-line, unsuffixed DL-103 (but I am not sure; the DL-103 family confuses me considerably still).
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